Wednesday, 29 March 2017

With advancements in indoor growing products and techniques, growers are turning to advanced alternatives to provide their plants with optimum growth factors. Many growers turn to Dorm Grow LED lights for their indoor gardening projects. These grow lights provide numerous benefits to plants. Along with the reduction in energy consumption, cutting down of utility costs, and targeting only the wavelengths of light needed for plant growth, these lights also help fight off bacteria and mold. Growers are actively replacing HPS bulbs with G8LEDs as they increase yield, enhance the quality of plants, and promote long-term cultivation.

For growers who are interested in incorporating these lights into their grow space, we have five tips that will help to maximize your investment and guarantee better plant growth.

1. Avoid Over-Watering

Over watering is a common mistake by growers when they switch from HIDs to LEDs. Compared to LED lighting, HID lighting generates more heat and evaporates water at a much faster pace, drying the soil and plants. Since LED lighting systems generate very little heat, you need to check the soil to make sure it is dry before watering the plants again. Avoid overwatering plants as it could lead to water logged roots, which will hurt the overall growth rate of the plants.

LEDs do not generate the same heat amount as HIDs. Growers who use HIDs are used to the soil drying out quickly and need to water every couple days. When you upgrade to G8LED grow lights, there will be a drop in temperature, making it much easier to control the room temperature and will allow the soil to retain more water without needing to water every couple days.

2. Set an Appropriate Mounting Height

Although LEDs have a simple installation process, it is important to install the LEDs at the correct height. Installing these lights at the precise height can enrich quality and yield of your plants. However, keep in mind that you have to consider a number of factors before you install your LEDs, such as the presence of natural light. You have to make sure that LEDs in your grow space provide a wide distribution of light concentrated on the plants. The higher the lights are placed, the more the plants will reach towards the light source and grow tall. The closer the lights are to the plants they will grow more dense and stalky. If you place the LEDs too close to the plants, although you will not burn them, the high intensity of the LED grow light could stress the and cause stunted growth. It is best to follow the height recommendation from the manufacturer.

3. Install Multiple LED Light Units

LED lights come with a unique ability that is to create targeted light output using optics. You can take one LED lamp and target it to the section of plants that requires more light. You can repeat this for clusters in your indoor garden. Your plants have a better chance to yield better when you install multiple units in the grow space. Doing so allows the beams to overlap, in return maximizing the distribution of light across the grow space. Installing multiple LEDs also gives you the benefit to adjust the light wavelengths and select the right lighting color for targeted phases of plant growth.

4. Define Light Cycles in Your Grow Space

Light cycles define a rhythm for the biological life of your crops. Indoor growers have the choice to manipulate the light cycles of these lights by decreasing or increasing the hours of darkness and light. This helps to stimulate the plant's photoperiod at any time. While supplemental lighting helps to fill the gap of light during winter months, it is necessary that you keep an eye on the amount of light your plants receive by defining the light cycles. During the vegetative stage the preferred cycle to implement is 18 hours of light in a day with 6 hours of darkness for plants with flowers. During the flowering stage, the preferred cycle is 12 hours of light with 12 hours of darkness.

Are you interested in installing LED grow lights for your indoor gardening project? Try them out and take your indoor garden to the next level!